food Archives - Rave & Review

Living with a Supertaster – 15 foods and drinks to avoid and tips to make mealtime easier

Think you might have a picky eater? You might just be living with a supertaster. See what supertasting is, which strategies to try, and how to help your supertaster thrive.

Where we were: Sunday in Fremont

Fremont is one of my favorite places on earth, and it was so great too get back there now that spring has officially sprung. We love walking along the Burke-Gilman trail and watching the boats go by, seeing the draw bridge go up and down, and picking wildflowers to add to any bouquets we buy … Read more

10 tips for planning a simply perfect bicycle picnic

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AquafinaSparkling #CollectiveBias One of hubby’s and my very first dates was a picnic almost 20 years ago. Since that day, we have picnicked our way through 9 countries and countless cities, and we’ve made it a point to … Read more

Travel: 12 reasons to visit Leavenworth, WA in winter {+ 3 things to know before you go}

Willkommen in Leavenworth, WAIt’s been a pretty hectic holiday season already and I’ve been working a ton recently while running from event to event. So, when we found out hubby had a few extra days off work, I wanted to make the most of them. We needed to get out of town and get somewhere where we could just relax and have some good family time before all the festivities next week, and I knew just where to go.

Located just a few hours outside of Seattle at the base of the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, very near the geographical center of Washington State, is the cutest little town called Leavenworth, WA. It’s been one of my favorite spots in Washington since I was a girl, and I love that it’s basically unchanged in the past three decades.

A little history: In 1962, Project LIFE {Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone} Committee was formed to transform the city into a mock Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. From the architecture to the specialty shops and retail, it truly feels like you are strolling through a quaint German town instead of a tiny town nestled in the mountains in Washington State.

Here are just some of the reasons why you should check out Leavenworth in the winter:

Go on, ask me anything

By Tyler, editor and reviewer

Now that I've been doing the Jenny Craig program for a while, I've reached a point where it's become obvious that I've made some changes in my lifestyle. People are asking questions about what I've done and when I say that change has been Jenny Craig, it just leads to even more questions. So I thought I'd just put a bunch of the usual questions people want to know up along with my answers all in one place for everyone to see. So, here are the questions I get asked, starting with the most frequent.

FAQ about the Jenny Craig program

Happy harvesting – Pay It Forward

By Leanne, editor and founder

This girl should have been born on a farm. She’s never more at home than when we’re planting, sowing, and harvesting. But, unfortunately for her, our small urban lot means that the bulk of our fall bounty can’t be planted in our backyard. Thank goodness for the kindness of neighbors and family as well as local u-pick farms that allow us all to get our farm life fill, without all the work of actually owning a farm. Because can you imagine me owning a farm? It would basically become one big honey-do list for hubby who is decidedly much more handy than I am, and a whole lot less squeamish.

But, I love that in our glimpses of farm life we are teaching our children the simple goodness of harvesting fruits and vegetables. There is something so beautiful about preparing foods you picked earlier that day and canning and freezing for later. And, there is something even more beautiful about watching your kids devour healthy foods they previously wouldn’t touch.

5 fall activities for families

By Tyler, editor and reviewer

This week we say goodbye to summer and the freedom that comes from not having school to wake up for. From now until late spring we will be on an earlier schedule, packing lunches, and spending evenings doing homework and getting ready for the next day. There won’t be as much time for late evening walks once the sun starts setting earlier, and it's going to start getting too cold for shorts and t-shirts soon.

But, it’s not all bad because it’s also the week we officially say hello to fall. Oh fall, how we’ve missed you. As much as I enjoy spring and summer and all the adventures we go on during the warmer months, there is something really special about fall. Boots, falling leaves, scarves, sweaters, coffee, pumpkin everything, and crisp, cool nights are coming and I cannot wait. Another bonus? Being able to get outside and stay active without overheating. No more worrying about slathering on sunscreen numerous times for even tiny walks to the park, and no more staying in shade most of the day to avoid direct sun. Fall is the time when we can finally bring the kids outside and just a daily sunscreen does the trick.

Here are just a few ways we like to stay active on a beautiful fall day:

Staying active as a family – 5 dad-approved activities

By Tyler, editor and reviewer

We don’t get to a gym much these days. As much as I would love to blame gym prices or the fact that we don’t have much time for gym workouts, the truth is that we’re not really gym people. We want to be, we really do. But, we like to go new places and explore different areas around us too much to spend our free time in one room or running a specific path. Our gym now happens in backyards, on playgrounds, and at parks, for better or for worse.

Recently we’ve been taking advantage of all this gorgeous sunshine and warm weather to get outside with the kids as much as possible. But, all of this getting out and walking means that we’ve exhausted all the parks near us and our need to explore new places starts creeping in. There are only so many times I can stand on the edge of the neighborhood park or in our backyard and cheer them on while they show me that they can go down the slide… again. These two adults? We want to move and play, too. Clearly, our evening routine needed a shake-up if we’re going to get serious about getting healthier, so I took it upon myself to make up a list of games for the family that are fun for everyone and get us all moving.

Resolve to take better care of yourself

What's your New Year's resolution? Whether it's eating less, exercising more, sleeping better, or simply taking better care of yourself, AT&T and Fitbit have you covered. By now you hopefully know that AT&T stores offer a huge variety of wearable technologies for consumers interested in health and fitness, but I bet you're wondering how an activity tracker can handle your entire resolution list and more.

The answer is that activity trackers have come a long way, baby. With an entire system dedicated to helping you figure out how much you are consuming, how much energy you're burning, and a way to track weight, sleep, and more, the Fitbit system works with the AT&T technology you're already carrying with you to help you stay within your fitness goals and make 2015 the year you take better care of you.

Make blueberries part of your little changes to start the New Year off right

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. I received a stipend to facilitate my purchase for my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.My family loves blueberries. Blueberries in baked goods, blueberries in smoothies, blueberries on dessert, or blueberries by the handful… as long as its blueberries, they are happy. In fact, my son {who is a notoriously picky eater} decided a few months ago that he would like his nickname to be “blueberry Bubs” in honor of his favorite berry.

It all started this past summer when we spent a few hours blueberry picking and eating our fill in the field {yes, eating the berries was allowed as long as you were buying some as well}, and we came home with a huge flat of the most amazing blueberries I have ever tried. However, we made the mistake of leaving that flat of blueberries out on the counter and my son basically ended up eating half of our haul by sneaking a handful every time he walked past until we realized it and then we put them away.